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The North Vermilion Dreams’ Dance Team made Vermilion Parish history on Saturday by winning the National Dance Team Championship in Orlando, Fla.
The NV Dance Team won the Division II Small Varisy Dame Day National Championship. The Dreams competed in Small Varsity Game Day & Hip Hop this past weekend at the UDA National Dance Team Championship held in Orlando, FL at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Also, the Erath High Extreme Dance Team took home second place in the Medium Varsity Division category.
NV Dance team has been competing on the National Level for 10 years. Prior to this year, a fifth in Game Day and eighth in Hip Hop served as the highest finishes for the Dreams.
Vangie Davidson is the coach of the NV Dance.
“It was a Dream come true!” Davidson exclaimed after the win. “Such an emotional rollercoaster knowing that years of hard work really can pay off and that the hometown girls from the town of Maurice made it to the top!”
North Vermilion had been trending upwards during its recent runs at a national title, so the title shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.
“NV has been on the rise the last 2 years,” Davidson said, “but I think we did surprise our competitors.”
Whatever the outcome, Davidson knew the Dreams gave a top-flight performance.
“They executed their routine at a personal best,” Davidson said, “and at that point it was all in the judge’s hands.”
This win only solidifies what was already an outstanding group, as far as the coaching staff is concerned.
“The Dreams have proven how special they are year after year,” Davidson said. “They rise to expectation because they know the importance of accountability. They exhibit self-discipline and sacrifice. They have a true passion for their craft and want to make their community and school proud. They face many obstacles preparing for competition. They rarely have the space needed to practice efficiently but will always make the best out of it, and have proven where there’s a will, there’s a way. When something stands in their way, they push through because they know their value and what they are capable of. They are also very involved in school activities and maintain a team GPA of 3.7 or above.
“They are the definition of a champion in many ways!”

At a recent Vermilion Parish School Board meeting, Superintendent Tommy Byler shared his “Vision 2024” plan for Abbeville’s elementary school system.
Byler proposed the idea of closing one of the city’s two elementary schools – Eaton Park Elementary and Herod Elementary – and consolidating all students into a single elementary school.
“I am asking permission to move forward,” Byler said. “I do not feel like having a K-2 school at Eaton Park and a 3-5 school at Herod is necessary. I feel like we are doubling our resources. We have talked about community schools and community models.”
Over the last five years, Abbeville has operated both Eaton Park and Herod Elementary schools, with the former serving kindergarten through second grade and the latter serving third through fifth grade.
However, Byler believes that consolidating the two schools will help save resources and better serve the community.
Next year, the projected numbers of elementary student in Abbeville will be 675. Herod Elementary can house 550 to 600 students.
Under the preliminary consolidation plan, Herod Elementary would become a community school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, providing tailored services and support to fit the neighborhood’s needs.
Its new school name would be Herod Elementary Community School
Meanwhile, Eaton Park Elementary would be transformed into the Eaton Park Elementary Center, housing the Virtual Vermilion alternative school, truancy office, and parenting center.
While the idea of closing Eaton Park Elementary is still in its early stages, Byler has already met with faculty members and school administrators to discuss the proposal.
He did not give a specific timeline for when the transition will occur if it ever does.
“I am still exploring it. The school administrators know. I met with the faculty of those two schools,” Byler said.
Byler emphasized the importance of stability and longevity in the schools, stating that changing teachers each year will not fix any issues that may arise.

January 25, 1931 - January 29, 2024

ERATH – A Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Louise Colomb Landry, 93, will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2024 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Fr. Clinton Sensat officiating.  Interment will follow at Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be held at David Funeral Home of Erath on Thursday, February 1, 2024 beginning at 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. with a recitation of the rosary at 7 p.m. in French.  Visitation will resume on Friday, February 2, 2024 from 8 a.m. until the time of the service. 
A native of Vermilion Parish and a long-time resident of Erath, Mrs. Landry died at 9:40PM on Monday, January 29, 2024 at her residence. Mrs. Louise was a graduate of Henry High School in 1948 and went on to have a successful career as a nurse for over 40 years. She started her nursing career at the Palms Hospital and worked many years at Morris Lahasky Hospital and Nursing Home.  She was a Member of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Daughters and the Holy Cross Rosary Group.  She was known for enjoyment of quilting, sewing, crocheting, gardening, reading, playing Pokeno, and being with her grandchildren.  She was also known as an exceptional cook.
She is survived by three sons, David A. Landry and his wife Cynthia of Erath, Glenn V. Landry and his wife Meloney of Erath, and Kenneth A. Landry of Youngsville; a daughter, Catherine M. Landry of Lafayette; one brother, Lester Colomb, Sr.; seven grandchildren, Olivia Landry, Julia Landry, Devon Landry, Blaine Landry, Rachel Landry, Scott Landry and Eric Landry; and eight great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dave J. Landry; her parents, Andrew and Anonciade Touchet Colomb; three brothers, John Colomb, Presley Colomb, and Dalton Colomb; two sisters, Irene Dore and Velta Guillotte; and a granddaughter, Natasha Johnson.
Serving as pallbearers will be Glenn V. Landry, Blaine Landry, Scott Landry, Kenneth Landry, Michael Colomb, and Lester Colomb, Jr..  Serving as honorary pallbearers will be David Landry and Devon Landry. 
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Erath at 209 E. Putnam St. (337)937-0405 will be handling the arrangements.

The audit report presented by Robert Carter of Kolder, Slaven & Company revealed that the Vermilion Parish School District achieved its highest revenue ever.
As a certified public accountant for the firm, Carter provided the School Board members with his annual Financial and Compliance Audit Report.
The report covers the fiscal year from June 30, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and indicates that the school district generated a total revenue of $137 million.
In 2019 and 2020, the school district collected $99 million. Revenue began to rise in 2021 ($113 million), 2022 ($119 million), and now 2023 ($137 million).

Where did the School District spend $137 million?

The school district allocated $87 million, which accounts for 63 percent of the budget, for salaries and school employee benefits.
The school district spent $61 million on salaries and $27 million on benefits.
Superintendent Tommy Byler has overseen an increase in salary spending from $79 million (salaries and benefits) in 2021 to $87 million in 2023 during his three-year tenure.
Additionally, an average of $24 million, equivalent to 19 percent of the school district’s budget, is being spent on repairing and maintaining school facilities.

Where did the extra $37 million come from?

Despite increases in property and sales taxes, the significant rise in revenue was not attributed to these factors.
Instead, the school district obtained $62 million from the state’s Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), which provides approximately $4,500 per student for educational expenses.
The MFP funding experienced a $4 million increase compared to the previous year.
In addition to the MFP funding, the school district received $40 million from property tax and $15 million from sales tax.
Moreover, all school districts in Louisiana were granted funds over a three-year period as part of the Education Stabilization Fund (ESSER) established by Congress. The purpose of the Education Stabilization Fund generally is to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to” COVID-19.
As indicated by Carter, Vermilion Parish received $37 million in grants during the previous fiscal year thanks to the ESSER federal grants.
In the year prior, the district received $29 million in federal grants, while in 2021, the amount decreased to $21 million. In 2019, the district received $19 million in federal grants.